Meta is planning on introducing a message limit for both individual users and businesses on its platform, WhatsApp. This move is designed to deter messages being sent en masse to unknown contacts without eliciting a response.
The tech giant’s new strategy is to implement a monthly cap on the number of messages that can be sent without receiving a reply. All the messages dispatched on the platform will count towards this proposed limit. The exact number constituting the monthly cap remains undisclosed with Meta confirming that it is still in the process of testing various thresholds.
In the upcoming weeks, the company plans to initiate trials of these new restrictions in multiple countries, although the specifics have yet to be determined.
WhatsApp will proactively alert users who are nearing the set limit through a pop-up notification. This alert will indicate the remaining number of messages that can be sent before the limit is reached, thus enabling users to manage their activity and avoid being completely barred from sending messages.
Meta assures that the average user will not be impacted by this new measure. The company explains that the limits are primarily intended to combat spam and will therefore not affect most users. As long as users are not excessively sending messages to a wide range of contacts, they are expected to remain unaffected by this change.
This is not the first instance of WhatsApp taking measures to combat spam. Previous features introduced by the company were aimed at enabling users to easily exit unfamiliar group chats, block messages directly from the lock screen, and entirely block messages from unknown users.
While Meta acknowledges that the new message limit will not entirely resolve the issue of spam on WhatsApp, it believes that it will effectively curtail its proliferation. The company is optimistic that this measure will deter spammers who indiscriminately send messages to random WhatsApp numbers, thereby making the process of spamming more challenging.
What is the new limit that Meta is introducing on WhatsApp?
Meta is implementing a monthly cap on the number of messages that can be sent on WhatsApp without receiving a reply. The exact number constituting this limit is still being tested.
How will users know if they are approaching the message limit?
WhatsApp will alert users nearing the set limit through a pop-up notification. This will indicate the number of messages remaining before the limit is reached.
Will the average user be affected by this new limit?
According to Meta, most users will not be affected by this new measure as it is primarily being introduced to combat spam. If users are not excessively sending messages to a wide range of contacts, they are likely to remain unaffected.
